Behind Bars Again.....

Sugar is back in jail. That is to say, back in her ex-pen on crate rest. Her struggle with neck pain continues in spite of a very aggressive drug campaign. I'm considering trying acupuncture again. It did help before, but unfortunately the effects only lasted a few days and it took a couple of treatments a week to keep her comfortable. She hates going to the vet so much that I was never really sure the reward was worth the stress going for acupuncture put her through...not to mention the cost. If I was convinced it would help, the cost wouldn't matter. I'm just not sure it really helps on balance. Whatever this is, seems to be aggravated by stress. The ex-pen really just helps her to feel protected. When just resting on her bed, she jumps and cries out when someone walks past her bed. They don't even need to pass particularly close to her, just in the vicinity. I guess she's afraid someone will run into her and hurt her already sore neck. The ex-pen convinces her that she's protected. She feels safe, and can rest better. We still let her come upstairs to bed at night.

Wheeler and I are going to the beach next week, but Rob is going to stay home and dog sit. If she's still this painful when we get back, it will be time to make some hard decisions. Problem is, this neck pain has disappeared in the past as mysteriously as it appeared. How long do I give it to get better before I give up? I really don't want to let her suffer unnecessarily, but I don't want to give up on her too soon!! The good news is , she's eating better (not great mind you) and she seems more relaxed. But then she's still taking enough pain meds to stop a train.